The Queensland Cancer Risk Study: general population norms for the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G).
OBJECTIVE
To derive Australian normative scores for the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General Population (FACT-GP) and to confirm its factor structure.


METHODS
Quality of life (QoL) data (as measured by the FACT-GP) were collected within the Queensland Cancer Risk Study (QCRS) in 2004. The QCRS explored cancer screening and cancer risk behaviours among 9419 English-speaking residents of Queensland aged 20-75 years. Information was collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews and augmented by mailed, Self-Administered Questionnaires (SAQ). A total of 2727 participants largely comparable to the general population of Queensland self-completed the FACT-GP; however, participants were somewhat higher educated, more likely to have had cancer and less likely to be of indigenous heritage.


RESULTS
The Queensland population reported a FACT-GP summary score of 85.9 (SD=15.1), with subscale scores (range: 19.2 for social well-being to 25.1 for physical well-being (PWB)). In this study, men and women within different age groups reported similar QoL. QoL was clinically and significantly lower among participants not married, with a body mass index (BMI) deviating from normal weight and with one or more self-reported morbidities. A four-factor solution was confirmed with good goodness-of-fit indices (RSMEA<0.05 for all three age groups).


CONCLUSIONS
The reference values from the general population reported here can be used for comparison with the QoL measured in populations of cancer patients, providing a benchmark against which clinicians can evaluate the impact of the disease and/or the treatments on QoL.
Janda
Monika
M
School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Australia. m.janda@qut.edu.au
DiSipio
Tracey
T
Hurst
Cameron
C
Cella
David
D
Newman
Beth
B
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015897:Comorbidity; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011793:Queensland; D012016:Reference Values; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012917:Social Adjustment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult